Daniel 8: Abomination of Desolation Foreshadowed

Related Topics

Visions of Daniel and John through time

Two years after Daniel’s vision in chapter 7, he is shown another vision that covers the history of Alexander the Great’s conquests over Medo-Persia some 300 years in Daniel’s future and what happens to Alexander’s kingdom when he dies.

 I’ve excerpted Daniel 8 below without verses as it was originally. If you would like to read it with verse numbers and inline Hebrew definitions, read it at Blue Letter Bible. I am not an historian and the references of historical events will likely be from a mix of Wikipedia and other sources I will reference. On certain things I do not trust Wikipedia to be accurate, but when it comes to secular history, I’m a little more willing to accept the information presented. If there are any errors in the histories presented here, please let me know.

Daniel 8
In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.

And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.

Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.

The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

AAnd the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.

Daniel 8: History or Future?

Before I share my understanding of this passage, I feel that the question of whether this is a historical vision or a future vision needs to be addressed. There are several reasons that some believe this chapter points to the future man of sin. Where this is placed in the timeline of human history can affect interpretation. Given this, I want to cover some of the points in both cases that I’ve considered and why I hold the historical view.

Future View

The Little Horn

One of the reasons is because of the little horn mentioned both here and in Daniel 7. The first thing to note is the difference of origin for this little horn.

Daniel 7:7-8
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

In Daniel 7, the little horn comes up from the fourth beast, diverse from the other three and having ten horns. It is out of these ten horns, three of which are plucked, that he comes up.

Daniel 8:8-9
Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant [land].

In Daniel 8, the goat is defined as the king of Greece after identifying the ram as the kings of Medo-Persia. This immediately locks it in the historical context. The great horn that is broken on the goat is the first king of Greece, Alexander the Great. When he is broken, four notable ones arise and it is out of one of those four that the little horn waxes exceedingly great.

These depict two completely different scenarios from which the little horn arises to power and as we will see, history lines up with Daniel 8 exactly as written so there is no need to further shape and fit the little horn to be the same as that of Daniel 7. What this does do, when viewing Daniel 8 as historical, is provide a foreshadow and mirror of the events of history compared to the events of the future and highlight the tie that Yeshua gives when pointing back to Daniel regarding the abomination of desolation. Matthew 24:15 | Mark 13:14 | Daniel 9:27

The Fourth Beast

Similar to the above, another point of association is the mention of the fourth beast, the fourth kingdom. Daniel 8:8-12 defines four horns, which are four kingdoms, that will stand up out of the broken horn of Greece. Since the little horn comes out of one of those four, it could then be said that he comes out of the fourth kingdom. This is also used to try and define the origin of the future man of sin as having Grecian origins. However, if this is a historical narrative to us, this doesn’t define the future man of sin at all, but a historical person we can look back to.

Daniel 7:7; 23-24 speaks to a fourth beast, interpreted as the fourth kingdom with great iron teeth that devours and breaks in pieces. This is the same one with ten horns, which are ten kings, from which the little horn rises. Therefore in both cases it is out of the fourth kingdom that the man of sin comes to power. However as pointed out above, the origin stories of these two little horns are distinct and one can be accounted for historically. Daniel’s fourth kingdom is that of the future man of sin, but its origin story has some distinct differences.

Daniel 2 also speaks of a fourth kingdom that is tied to Rome historically. The final kingdom mentioned next there is the one in power when the Messiah comes to set up the Messianic Kingdom, it is the iron mixed with clay. While this fourth kingdom is then not the one in power at Messiah’s return, the fact that it is made of iron and the fifth kingdom that is in power when He returns is iron mixed with clay leads some to translate this to a revived Roman Empire as the last kingdom and that of the man of sin. Therefore it is determined that the antichrist must come from this European revived Roman Empire.

As I describe in the Daniel 2 page, iron is used as a description of something strong that breaks in pieces, it’s not tied to the identity of a kingdom. If that were true, Yeshua will rule the Messianic Kingdom with a rod of iron, is He from Rome as well?

Daniel 11: Antiochus to Antichrist

Daniel 11-12 gives greater detail of the kingdoms from Medo-Persia through Greece and part way through describing the same time as Daniel 8, describing the vile Antiochus IV Epiphanes. What is both interesting and causes some confusion, is that it continues this narrative through to the end time antichrist. For more detail on these chapters, check out the link above, but in short, note the language between these two verses.

Daniel 11:35-36
And [some] of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make [them] white, [even] to the time of the end: because [it is] yet for a time appointed. And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

Daniel 11:31 already previously described the abomination of desolation and through to verse 35 it describes the people who know their God being strong and doing exploits, the understanding instructing many and falling by the sword many days. As you will see there, this describes the situation of the Maccabeean revolt following the stopping of the daily sacrifice and abomination of desolation of Antiochus IV Epiphanes historically. Verse 35 ends with them of understanding falling and being tried and purged to make them white even to the time of the end that is for a time yet appointed.

Then the king, which would seem to point back to Antiochus, does according to his will and declares himself above all gods. Antiochus didn’t declare himself above all gods, but he setup idols of his gods in the temple to be worshipped and stopped the daily sacrifice. From verse 36 on, this doesn’t seem to tie into him. As to put a finer point on it, the king of the south and north are brought back up, but this time “at the time of the end.”

Daniel 11:40
And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

Four Shadows and Mirrors

In putting together the chart lining up all the visions of Daniel and John, something really interesting became evident that would seem to correlate all these similarities and variances between the various accounts.

Daniel 8 describes a time future to Daniel, but historical to us. It describes history from Medo-Persia to Greece, depicting the conquering Alexander the Great, his death, and the subsequent splitting of Macedonia into four horns, or kingdoms. Out of one of those kingdoms comes a little horn who will take the kingdom being politically crafty and become great and ultimately takes away the daily sacrifice and causes an abomination of desolation by setting up an idol in the temple to be worshipped by the Jews.

Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 both describe a future time to us, a transition of power into four beasts, or kingdoms. Out of one of those kingdoms with ten horns, arises a little horn who will stand out among the leadership. He will ultimately take away the daily sacrifice and cause an abomination of desolation when he stands in the temple declaring himself to be above all gods demanding worship as god by all the Jews.

Daniel 11-12 compliments both Daniel 8 and Daniel 7, as well as John’s vision in Revelation 13. It gives greater detail of the conflict following the death of Alexander the Great that leads to the more focused view of Antiochus Epiphanes IV and the stopping of the daily sacrifice and abomination of desolation he performs. It then leaps into the future as if to make the connection between the two for us. In this way Yeshua has pointed to Daniel regarding the definition of the abomination of desolation and Daniel’s visions given to him by God have shown a historical event that foreshadows and mirrors that yet to come. However, the one yet future will be much greater in scope and dreadfulness and affect the whole earth for 3½ years leading to the end of humankind as we know it forever.

Historical View

I believe that this vision, future to Daniel’s time, is actually a foreshadow of the emergence of the future man of sin. It shows the historic split of Alexander’s kingdom upon his death and the subsequent rise of a ruler from the Syrian Seleucid Empire, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who is a foreshadow of the future man of sin, the antichrist.

Medo-Persia (Achaemenid Empire)

Daniel 8:3-4
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had [two] horns: and the [two] horns [were] high; but one [was] higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither [was there any] that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.

Daniel 8:20
The ram which thou sawest having [two] horns [are] the kings of Media and Persia.

The Medes were an ancient people who inabited what is between Western and Northern Iran from around 687 - 549 BC. They did not document their history and so there is little to go on. In 553 BC,  Cyrus the Great revolted against the Median Empire and in 550 BC assumed control of the empire. More detail on Wikipedia.

“In the Histories the Persians are sometimes not exactly distinguishable from other peoples of their empire, especially when the Greeks’ opponents are simply qualified as “Persians.” The Persians generally are run together with the Medes, as can be recognized by Herodotus’s use of the terms mēdízein and mēdismós (Myres, 1936; Graf, 1984; Tuplin, 1994, 1997; Rollinger, 2003). He also states that the Persians have adopted Median attire (1.35; Armayor, 1978c, p. 5). Both Medes and Persians are qualified by Herodotus as an éthnos, and he lists six génea for each, respectively... According to Herodotus it was not until the appearance of Cyrus the Great that the Persians acquired a visible profile and emerged from the shadows of history. They thus came forth as actors in some of the monumental events in the history of Asia, involving several opposing and alternating imperial power factions, which were finally to merge within the imperium of Cyrus and his successors.” | Encyclopædia Iranica, Herodotus iii. Defining the Persians - Link

As such, the vision showing the two horns where the latter horn was higher than the first, fits with secular history of the Medes and Persians both being of the same origin (ie. the ram, or modern day Iran) and the later kingdom, Persia led by Cyrus the Great, being greater than the former.

In 547 BC, Cyrus the Great conquered the area of Iona on the Mediterranean Sea just below Macedonia. From Persia, this is to the Northwest. The Achaemenid Empire also conquered territory to the Southwest through Syria, Israel, Sinai Peninusla, Egypt and Libya. Conflict continued between Greece and Persia and in 498 BC the Persian capital of Sardis was captured and burned. In 494 BC the Persians under Darius I the Great stopped the revolt that led to the destruction of Sardis and Darius the Great planned the elimination of future revolts, but died in 486 BC.

It was during this time in 480 BC that the famous Battle of Thermopylae took place when the Persian army of estimates between 120,000 to millions under Xerxes I attacked the defending Greek army of around 7,000 led by Leonidas. They held them off for seven days until a last stand was made at the pass where 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, and reportedly 900 helots, and 400 Thebans remained and fought to the death. The Greco-Persian wars eventually quietly ended in 449 BC. More detail on Wikipedia.

Greece

Daniel 8:5-8a
And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat [had] a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had [two] horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; ...

Daniel 8:21
And the rough goat [is] the king of Grecia: and the great horn that [is] between his eyes [is] the first king.

Alexander the Great was the first great king of Greece, son of Philip of Macedon. He was one of the most successful military commanders in history, defeating the Medo-Persian Empire from 334 to 324 BC and assimiliating it into the Greek Empire.

In 323 BC at the age of 32, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon. There are several accounts of what caused his death, but the common point had to do with some wine that he drank after which he was sick for 11 or 12 days and later died. More detail on Wikipedia.

Four Kingdoms

Daniel 8:8b
and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. ...

Daniel 8:22
Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

As expected following Alexander’s unexpected death, much intrigue began to determine his successor. Through the Wars of the Diadochi (Wars of Alexander’s Successors), his kingdom was split into four under four of his generals. In this, the Greeks remained in control over his kingdom, but his kingdom was not passed fully to his descendents and so his power ended with his death.

Kingdom of Macedonia

The kingdom of Macedonia’s succession was led by Perdiccas, one of Alexander’s generals, who was for a short time made regent of the empire. Philip III Arrhidaeus was named co-ruler with Alexander IV, child of Alexander III (the Great) and his wife Roxana. Philip III had diminished mental capacity and so Olympias, Alexander’s mother, went through a series of regents. Cassander later had Alexander IV murdered and took power. More detail on Wikipedia.

Ptolemaic Kingdom

Founded by Alexander’s general Ptolemy I Soter, it was ruled by the Ptolemaic dynasty until the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC. More detail on Wikipedia.

Kingdom of Lysimachus

Lysimachus, a general of Alexander, gained the territory following the Wars of the Diadochi and in 309 BC he founded Lysimachus.  More detail on Wikipedia.

Seleucid Empire

Founded in 312 BC by Alexander’s general Seleucus I Nicator, it was eventually overthrown in 63 BC by the Roman general Pompey. More detail on Wikipedia.

The Little Horn

Daniel 8:9-12
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant [land]. And it waxed great, [even] to the host of heaven; and it cast down [some] of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified [himself] even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily [sacrifice] was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given [him] against the daily [sacrifice] by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. ...

Daniel 8:23-25
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify [himself] in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

Antiochus Epiphanes (“God Manifest”) IV ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 - 164 BC when he died. His rise to power began when he was a political hostage of Rome until 187 BC when he was exchanged for Demetrius I Soter, the son and heir of Seleucus. His older brother Seleucus IV Philopator had taken the throne a year before his release and Antiochus was in Athens with his brother in 175 BC when his brother was assassinated, according to some sources, by the government minister Heliodorus who proclaimed himself regent. Seleucus’ legitimate heir Demetrius I Soter was still a hostage in Rome, so Antiochus seized the throne for himself, proclaiming himself co-regent with another son of Seleucus, an infant named Antiochus.

Antiochus IV was extravagant, taking money from the Seleucid treasury to scatter on the streets to the common people, give unexpected gifts to people he didn’t know, hold banquets and parades, etc. He also attempted to maintain good relations with Rome, paying them the money owed and, with the help of Eumenes II, securing a new treaty of friendship with Rome. It was likely through this political maneuvering, flatteries, deceit, and cunning that he became as powerful as he did. In other words, he was a great polititian.

Daniel 8:25
And through his policy(H7922 - cunning, craftiness) also he shall cause craft(H4820 - deceit, treachery) to prosper in his hand(H3027 - power, strength); and he shall magnify [himself] in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

This was demonstrated when he seemed to have some advance warning of an attack by King Ptolemy VI Philometor and they were attacked and defeated by Antiochus IV. He didn’t always have the political upper hand though. In 168 BC, he went to attack Egypt a second time, but was given a message from the Roman senate to either withdraw or consider himself at war with Rome. This embarrasing put down was followed shortly after when he was traveling back North. More detail on Wikipedia.

1 Maccabees 1:17-26
And the kingdom was established before Antiochus, and he had a mind to reign over the land of Egypt, that he might reign over two kingdoms. And he entered into Egypt with a great multitude, with chariots and elephants, and horsemen, and a great number of ships: And he made war against Ptolemee king of Egypt, but Ptolemee was afraid at his presence, and fled, and many were wounded unto death. And he took the strong cities in the land of Egypt: and he took the spoils of the land of Egypt. And after Antiochus had ravaged Egypt in the hundred and forty-third year, he returned and went up against Israel. And he went up to Jerusalem with a great multitude. And he proudly entered into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof, and the table of proposition, and the pouring vessels, and the vials, and the little mortars of gold, and the veil, and the crowns, and the golden ornament that was before the temple: and he broke them all in pieces. And he took the silver and gold, and the precious vessels: and he took the hidden treasures which he found: and when he had taken all away he departed into his own country. And he made a great slaughter of men, and spoke very proudly. And there was great mourning in Israel, and in every place where they were.

Abomination of desolation

Antiochus IV Epiphanes arrived at Jerusalem and began to persecute the Jews. One account of this is recorded by Diodorus Siculus.

“King Antiochus besieged Jerusalem. The Jews withstood the siege for some time; but when all their provisions were used up, they were forced to send ambassadors to him, to seek terms for a truce. Many of his friends urged him to storm the city, and to root out the whole nation of the Jews; for they only of all people hated to mix with any other nations, and treated them all as enemies. They suggested to him that the ancestors of the Jews were driven out of Egypt, as impious and hateful to the gods: for seeing that their bodies were infected with white marks and leprosy, by way of expiation the Egyptians gathered them all together, and expelled them out of their county, as profane and wicked wretches. After they were thus expelled, they settled around Jerusalem, and were afterwards united into one nation, called the nation of the Jews; but their hatred of all other men descended with their blood to their posterity. And therefore they made strange laws, and quite different from other people; they never will eat nor drink with any of other nations, or wish them any prosperity. His friends reminded him that Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes, after subduing the Jews, entered into the temple of God, into which none was allowed to enter by their law except the priest. When he found in there the image of a man with a long beard, carved in stone sitting upon an ass, he took it to be Moses, who built Jerusalem and brought the nation together, and who established by law all their wicked customs and practices, abounding in hatred and enmity to all other men. Antiochus therefore, abhorring their antagonism to all other people, tried his utmost to abolish their laws. To that end he sacrificed a great swine at the image of Moses, and at the altar of God that stood in the outward court, and sprinkled them with the blood of the sacrifice. He commanded likewise that the books, by which they were taught to hate all other nations, should be sprinkled with the broth made of the swine’s flesh. And he put out the lamp (called by them immortal) which burns continually in the temple. Lastly he forced the high priest and the other Jews to eat swine’s flesh. When Antiochus’ friends had spoken about all these things, they earnestly advised him to root out the whole nation, or at least to abolish their laws, and compel them to change their former manner of living. But the king, being of a generous spirit and mild disposition, received hostages and pardoned the Jews: but he demolished the walls of Jerusalem, and took the tribute that was due.” | Diodorus Siculus 34:1(1-5)

Being a peculiar people called out from the world, the Jews had things that would make them unclean, which is why they do not eat pig and other animals. Sacrificing a pig at the temple made it ritually unclean as well as sprinkling water soaked in its dead flesh on the books and forcing the priests to eat it.

Deuteronomy 14:7-8
Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; [as] the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; [therefore] they [are] unclean unto you. And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it [is] unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.

1 Maccabees records in greater detail the return of Antiochus and his armies that leads to the abomination of desolation.

1 Maccabees 1:30-67
And after two full years the king sent the chief collector of his tributes to the cities of Juda, and he came to Jerusalem with a great multitude. And he spoke to them peaceable words in deceit: and they believed him. And he fell upon the city suddenly, and struck it with a great slaughter, and destroyed much people in Israel. And he took the spoils of the city, and burnt it with fire, and threw down the houses thereof, and the walls thereof round about: And they took the women captive, and the children, and the cattle they possessed. And they built the city of David with a great and strong wall, and with strong towers, and made it a fortress for them: And they placed there a sinful nation, wicked men, and they fortified themselves therein: and they stored up armour, and victuals, and gathered together the spoils of Jerusalem; And laid them up there: and they became a great snare. And this was a place to lie in wait against the sanctuary, and an evil devil in Israel. And they shed innocent blood round about the sanctuary, and defiled the holy place. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled away by reason of them, and the city was made the habitation of strangers, and she became a stranger to her own seed, and her children forsook her. Her sanctuary was desolate like a wilderness, her festival days were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach, her honours were brought to nothing. Her dishonour was increased according to her glory, and her excellency was turned into mourning. And king Antiochus wrote to all his kingdom, that all the people should be one: and every one should leave his own law. And all nations consented according to the word of king Antiochus. And many of Israel consented to his service, and they sacrificed to idols, and profaned the sabbath. And the king sent letters by the hands of messengers to Jerusalem, and to all the cities of Juda: that they should follow the law of the nations of the earth, And should forbid holocausts and sacrifices, and atonements to be made in the temple of God. And should prohibit the sabbath, and the festival days, to be celebrated. And he commanded the holy places to be profaned, and the holy people of Israel. And he commanded altars to be built, and temples, and idols, and swine’s flesh to be immolated, and unclean beasts. And that they should leave their children uncircumcised, and let their souls be defiled with all uncleannesses, and abominations, to the end that they should forget the law, and should change all the justifications of God. And that whosoever would not do according to the word of king Antiochus should be put to death. According to all these words he wrote to his whole kingdom, and he appointed rulers over the people that should force them to do these things. And they commanded the cities of Juda to sacrifice. Then many of the people were gathered to them that had forsaken the law of the Lord: and they committed evils in the land: And they drove away the people of Israel into lurking holes, and into the secret places of fugitives. On the fifteenth day of the month Casleu, in the hundred and forty-fifth year, king Antiochus set up the abominable idol of desolation upon the altar of God, and they built altars throughout all the cities of Juda round about: And they burnt incense, and sacrificed at the doors of the houses, and in the streets. And they cut in pieces, and burnt with fire the books of the law of God: And every one with whom the books of the testament of the Lord were found, and whosoever observed the law of the Lord, they put to death, according to the edict of the king. Thus by their power did they deal with the people of Israel, that were found in the cities month after month. And on the five and twentieth day of the month they sacrificed upon the altar of the idol that was over against the altar of God. Now the women that circumcised their children, were slain according to the commandment of king Antiochus. And they hanged the children about their necks in all their houses: and those that had circumcised them, they put to death. And many of the people of Israel determined with themselves, that they would not eat unclean things: and they chose rather to die than to be defiled with unclean meats. And they would not break the holy law of God, and they were put to death: And there was very great wrath upon the people.

Here we see a detailed depiction of what Antiochus did:

• When he arrived he spoke of peace deceitfully and suddenly attacked and killed many. Daniel 8:25
• Those in Jerusalem fled the city for the slaughter there.
• He changed the law, prohibiting the Law of Moses, circumcision, and feasts. Many in Israel conscented and forsake the Sabbath, worshipped idols. Whoever did not comply was put to death.
• They built altars throughout all the cities of Juda round about: And they burnt incense, and sacrificed at the doors of the houses, and in the streets.
• Whoever was found with the books of the Law of God or was found following them was put to death.
• Kislev 15 (December 6) in 145 SE (167 BC) Antiochus set up the abominable idol of desolation upon the altar of God and on Kislev 25 (December 16) he sacrificed on the altar that was on the altar of God.

Understanding the foreshadow that this was and a mirror of the future, from this description we can get a glimpse of what will happen on a much larger scale, yet slightly differently. In the future, it will be the dragon himself empowering the man of sin and false prophet to change the times and laws, demand worship of the beast and of the dragon, and whoever does not will be killed. And all those that worship the beast will participate in the slaughter of the innocent Jews and Christians who are found reject and not worship this false idol and remain faithful to their God in heaven.

2 Maccabees has a depiction of Antiochus’s death that may shed some light on the statement from Daniel 8:25 that, “he shall be broken without hand.”

2 Maccabees 9:5-10; 28-29
But the Lord the God of Israel, that seeth all things, struck him with an incurable and an invisible plague. For as soon as he had ended these words, a dreadful pain in his bowels came upon him, and bitter torments of the inner parts. And indeed very justly, seeing he had tormented the bowels of others with many and new torments, albeit he by no means ceased from his malice. Moreover being filled with pride, breathing out fire in his rage against the Jews, and commanding the matter to be hastened, it happened as he was going with violence that he fell from the chariot, so that his limbs were much pained by a grievous bruising of the body. Thus he that seemed to himself to command even the waves of the sea, being proud above the condition of man, and to weigh the heights of the mountains in a balance, now being cast down to the ground, was carried in a litter, bearing witness to the manifest power of God in himself: So that worms swarmed out of the body of this man, and whilst he lived in sorrow and pain, his flesh fell off, and the filthiness of his smell was noisome to the army. And the man that thought a little before he could reach to the stars of heaven, no man could endure to carry, for the intolerable stench. ... Thus the murderer and blasphemer, being grievously struck, as himself had treated others, died a miserable death in a strange country among the mountains. But Philip that was brought up with him, carried away his body: and out of fear of the son of Antiochus, went into Egypt to Ptolemee Philometor.

2,300 Days

Daniel 8:13-14
Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain [saint] which spake, How long [shall be] the vision [concerning] the daily [sacrifice], and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Daniel 8:26
And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told [is] true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it [shall be] for many days.

Evening and Morning

The first thing to point out in relation to the 2,300 days spoken of in the vision is related to the daily, that is the continual or perpetual sacrifice.

Exodus 29:38-42
Now this [is that] which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: [This shall be] a continual burnt offering throughout your generations [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

Coming out of Egypt, God told Israel to have a continual, perpetual sacrifice at the door of the tabernacle. Once Israel was in the Promised Land and the temple of Solomon and the second temple were built, it was outside the temple that each morning and evening a lamb under a year old would be sacrificed and offered as a burnt offering.

In the Masoretic text, what is written as “two thousand and three hundred days” is actually “two thousand and three hundred evening (ereb) morning (boqer),” speaking to the evening and morning sacrifices. So when it says 2,300 days, it is saying 2,300 evening and morning sacrifices. Dividing this in two to get the actual number of days, it is 1,150 actual days. Thanks to the Maccabees, we have precise dates for the abomination of desolation and the cleansing of the sanctuary.

I Maccabees 1:54
On the 15th day of the 9th month of the 145th year [of the kingdom of the Greeks] king Antiochus set up the abominable idol of desolation upon the altar of God.

I Maccabees 4:52-53
And they arose before the morning of the 25th day of the 9th month of the 148th year, and they offered sacrifices according to the law upon the new altar...

If we calculate 365 days per year times 3 and add 10 days, that is only 1,105 days, 45 days short. Taking into account this was in 167 BC and the Julian calendar was not in use until 45 BC, and a separate communication from Herodotus from 445 BC, we see the ancient calendar was a 360-day calendar per year.

“Take seventy years as the span of a man’s life. Those seventy years contain 25,200 days without counting intercalary months. Add a month every other year to make the seasons come round with proper regularity, and you will have 35 additional months which will make 1050 days. Thus the total days of your seventy years is 26,250 and not a single one of them is like the next in what it brings.” | Herodotus, In a passage where he discusses Solon who is speaking to Croesus, a Greek king in Asia Minor, about the relativity of happiness in life, Solon cites the usual length of a man’s life.

25,200 / 70 = 360 days (without counting intercalary months)
1,050 / 35 = 30 days (value of an intercalary month)

“Using the Greek calendar according to Herodotus and assuming that the years 146 and 148 were intercalary years, we come up with the following calculation: 9-15-145 to 9-25-148, the dates given in Maccabees from the desecration to the cleansing, is three years and ten days. Thus, the math sentence following the Greek calendar which was in use at the time the prophecy was fulfilled would be: (3 X 360) + (2 X 30) + 10 = 1,150.” | The 2300 Day Prophecy of Daniel 8

I actually learned of this from The 2300 Day Prophecy of Daniel 8 web page, which is no longer up and is only available via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. I recommend checking it out as it presents a more detailed explanation and examination of history and scripture to show the fulfillment of this prophecy ending with what is celebrated today as Chanukkah.

Taking this into account, the whole of Daniel 8 is an account future to Daniel, but historical to us. It introduces the foreshadow of the man of sin, even to the rising out of one of four kingdoms and association to a little horn.

Other Narratives of the Historical Record

“The ram represents the Medo-Persian Empire. The longer horn that grew up later was the Persian side. The Medes were originally the dominant force but Cyrus quickly turned things around so that the Persians overwhelmed the Medes and claimed the Empire through shrewd political maneuvering.”

“The goat, representing the Greek Empire (also known as the Macedonian Empire) under Alexander, moved so fast it literally flew eastward. Alexander conquered the known world in just 11 years. The Persian king Xerxes had built a huge army numbering 2 million men whom he had trained for four years. Yet Alexander’s small army decimated the powerful Persian might with ferocity and innovative military tactics. The Persians were powerless to stand against the Greeks. Alexander died at the height of his power, of a sudden fever following a drunken party in Babylon at the age of 33. There were rumors that he was actually poisoned by Cassander, one of his generals. He was eventually succeeded by his four key generals who divided the kingdom among them after 22 years of infighting, murder, bribery and political chicanery.”

“In 330BC, Jaddua the high priest showed Alexander the Great Daniel chapter 8. Alexander was so impressed as he saw his military conquest of Persia laid out before him in a 200-year-old account that he not only spared the city but granted the Jews many concessions.” | The Persian Wars

The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. | Jewfaq.org, on Chanukkah

“During the latter part of the Seleucid dynasty, Antiochus III was succeeded by his son Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175 BC). In order to collect tributes, Seleucus IV sent his tax collector, Heliodorus, to rob the Jerusalem temple, however, Heliodorus engineered a conspiracy against Seleucus IV, killed him, and assumed interim Syrian leadership

Shortly before the death of Seleucus IV, his son Demetrius was sent to Rome, in a hostage trade for Antiochus IV, brother of Seleucus IV, who was previously captured by the Romans in a war with Antiochus III. Upon release from Rome, Antiochus IV traveled to Athens and secretly negotiated with the Romans, for the Seleucid throne. He convinced the Romans to keep Demetrius, the rightful heir to the throne in Rome, as a permanent hostage, in return for monetary tributes. As a part of the deal, the king of Pergamus, who was given a portion of the kingdom of Antiochus III by the Romans for assisting them in war against the Seleucid dynasty, expelled Heliodorus by force and placed Antiochus IV on the throne.

With the stoic face of a master poker player, and with his trickery, lies, and charlatanism, Antiochus IV Epiphanes finagled his way into control as ruler of the powerful kingdom of Syria and reigned from 175 BC to 164 BC. Taken for a mad man, Antiochus IV stole from the palace treasury and Jewish temples, rambled around in Roman officer disguise, and drank and caroused with people of the lowest rank.

In 170 BC, with relative ease, Antiochus IV attacked and overtook the Egyptian army, and then, he defeated the Egyptian navy. At one point, capable of destroying the commanders of the Egyptian army and masses of the population, Antiochus IV spared them and befriended several Egyptian cities in a blatant gesture of sycophancy, with the hope of persuading the young Egyptian king Ptolemy VI Philometer, who became his captured ward, to politically assist in the battle against the young king’s brother who headed the remainder of the uncaptured Egyptian forces stationed in the city of Alexandria.

Having risen to power after Seleucus IV, who was known for his consideration toward the Jews offering them many freedoms, Antiochus IV was absolutely ruthless in his treatment of the Jews, committing unfathomable abuse of the Jews. He deposed Onias the High-Priest and sold the priesthood to Jason, the younger brother of Onias for 440 talents of silver. Onias was subsequently killed by Andronicus, deputy to Antiochus IV in Antioch. In two incredible acts of viciousness, Antiochus IV became known throughout all future Jewish history for blatantly killing an old priest, Eleazar, on the torture wheel because he would not eat pork, and, for methodically dismembering to death, seven sons in the presence of their mother, and then the mother, for not eating pork sacrificed to Zeus Jupiter. Once while Antiochus IV was away at battle in Egypt, a false rumor spread that he was dead, sending Judea into revolt. Angered at his disloyal Jewish subjects, Antiochus IV returned to Jerusalem with his vast army and he indiscriminately killed 80,000 Jews from young to old, and sold another 40,000 Jews into slavery. He was a very evil human being.

As recorded in the Second Book of Maccabees, Chapter 9, God struck Antiochus IV down with an incurable pain in his bowels. Arrogantly acting as though unfazed by his illness, Antiochus IV was riding in a chariot when he fell out and his body was racked throughout. Living for a brief period, his body became so infected that flesh fell off his bones and produced an intolerable stench. Humbled by God, Antiochus IV died without dignity.” | Link